Attacker uses van to claim 10 lives
AT LEAST 10 people have died after a man ploughed a white rental van into a crowd of pedestrians in Canada’s biggest city Toronto on Monday, in what police dubbed a “deliberate” attack. The incident took place in broad daylight around 16km from a conference centre hosting a meeting of G7 ministers, but officials said they had no evidence of a link to the event. “The actions definitely looked deliberate,” Toronto Police Chief Mark Saunders told journalists. Public Security Minister Ralph Goodale added that “on the basis of all available information at the present time, there would appear to be no national security connection to this particular incident.” “Horrible day in Toronto,” he had posted earlier on Twitter. “Senseless violence takes heavy toll.” Police arrested a suspect – who they later identified as 25year-old Alek Minassian from a northern Toronto suburb – at the scene of the attack, whose initial death toll of nine jumped to 10 after one person succumbed to injuries. Fifteen people remained in hospital, Mr Saunders said, adding that local, provincial and federal investigators were probing the case. At the scene, at least three bodies could be seen under orange sheets and a long stretch of road was sealed off with police incident tape. The suspect and a police officer faced off, their guns drawn. The suspect eventually surrendered his weapon and was taken into custody. Vehicle attacks have been carried out to deadly effect by extremists in a number of capitals and major cities, including London, Paris, New York and Nice. Canada’s Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland said the G7 meeting would continue as planned into Tuesday, with officials discussing ways to secure democratic societies from foreign interference.
Officers were called to the scene – on Yonge St at the corner with Finch Ave – around 1:30pm, police said.
A white rental van with a dented front bumper was stopped on the sidewalk of a major intersection, surrounded by police vehicles.
“He was going really fast,” witness Alex Shaker told CTV television. “All I could see was just people one by one getting knocked out, knocked out, one by one. There are so many people lying down on the streets.”
HE WAS GOING REALLY FAST. ALL I COULD SEE WAS JUST PEOPLE ONE BY ONE GETTING KNOCKED OUT, KNOCKED OUT
WITNESS ALEX SHAKER